Circular knitting machines produce fabric in tubular form. Typically, the tubular fabric is flattened into a web of two layers of fabric joined together at opposite sides of the web. The flattened web is then wound into a roll and ultimately, the full roll is discharged from the knitting machine.
It is sometimes desirable to slit the tubular fabric and take-up the fabric as a single layer fabric. Two examples of such slitting and take-up mechanisms are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,885 to Vignoni and in German published patent application No. DE 39 37 990 A1 published May 16, 1991. In both examples, the flattened tubular fabric is slit at opposite side edges to form two separate, single layer webs of widths equal to the width of the flattened tubular fabric. While filling a particular need, an obvious disadvantage of these slitting and take-up mechanisms is that a single layer web of only one-half the width of the knitted fabric is produced.
Another example of a slitting and take-up mechanism that slits the tubular fabric longitudinally at a single location and spreads the fabric into a wide, single layer web is disclosed in French published application No. 0 456 576 A1, published Nov. 13, 1991. In this French slitting and take-up mechanism the tube of fabric passes around a former (sometimes referred to as a "tenter") and is then flattened by guide rollers. The flattened fabric is slit longitudinally by a cutter as it exits the guide rollers and passes over a spreader which spreads the fabric to its full width. The spread fabric is then fed through the conventional three let-off rolls and eventually is taken-up by being rolled about a take-up roll.
Significant disadvantages and deficiencies have been encountered with this French slitting and take-up mechanism. Among these disadvantages and deficiencies is that the knit fabric must travel approximately twice as far as in a conventional knitting machine before reaching the three let-off rolls which results in insufficient take-up tension. Additionally, the knitting machine and the attendant slitting and take-up mechanism are quite tall, extending to a considerable height above the floor. This height makes servicing and operation of the machine difficult and somewhat dangerous since the operators must use a stepladder to thread-up the yarn carriers, etc.